Q & A of NASCAR

[Garrett Duke]

Well I don't want to be hogging the NASCAR forum here, but Roger came up with an idea for a question and answer page for NASCAR and thought it was a great idea. Thought we could post our questions here and whoever who has the answer can answer it. Wish I could say I had all the answers, but I don't. So if there is a question on here that doesn't get answered, I could try to look the answer up. Thanks Roger for the great idea!

[RogerDuke]

Well Garrett, so far you're the only expert we got. I shouldn't use the word "only" because you're so good you're really all we need.

This is just a suggestion. Let me know what you think. Unlike the other trivia forum where an expert asks a question and people answer, I think on this one, people should ask questions and the expert should answer.

Here's the first question. Why does no NASCAR driver have number 01?....those drivers all love the Dukes of Hazzard. You'd think they'd be fighting for that number.

[HossC]

As an Formula 1 fan I had always assumed (in my younger days) that oval racing must be really dull with no chicanes or twisty-turny bits. Then one of our non-subscription channels picked up some NASCAR races and started showing them at 2 or 3 in the morning (it wasn't the time difference - they were shown a day or 2 late). It's a very different type of racing, and watching the lead change several times a lap certainly means I was wrong about it being dull:).

I'm not sure whether they've stopped showing it, or my insomnia cleared up. For your sake I hope they stopped showing it, otherwise there's going to be a whole bunch of dumb questions heading your way.

[Garrett Duke]

Sounds like a good idea Roger...I just didn't want people thinking I was hogging the board or all that kind of stuff. I don't mind answering the questions. Wow...don't 'think I have ever been considered or thought of as an expert in anything. I guess my obsession with NASCAR has finally paid off. Thanks for the compliment.

As for your question Roger, I really don't know why they don't have an 01 in the field. I know NASCAR gives the owners a number and they hand them out. If memory recalls correctly, when Mark Martin was driving for Earnhardt Inc and shared a ride with Aric Almorila I think their number was 01. I could be wrong. It was the Army car. Jamie McMurray is 1, but no 0 in front of it. That is as close as there is now. I'll go check on NASCAR.com and see if any of the part time start and park cars has that number. Then I think Joe Nemechek sported 01 after Mark Martin/Almorila, but now he has some other number. Hate to say that the first question I get, I don't know the answer to. LOL

Well I hope your insomnia cleared up Hoss. And there is no such thing as dumb questions. I am glad to answer any questions I can. When I first started watching NASCAR, I knew nothing of the sport and at first I had an online friend I could ask and she would eventually get back to me. Then she stopped writing back and I had to resort to keep watching it to get a hang of it. I dislike the chase, but I think that helped a lot for me to understand it all with the points and all. If that makes sense. But as I said, no such thing as dumb questions so ask away!

[RogerDuke]

This is probably an easy question.

Has Dale Jr. been mathematically eliminated from the Chase?

[Garrett Duke]

Well, I wouldn't say for sure he is out. There is six more races. So if he has great six races (which means he'd have to improve from how he's been finishing the races thus far) and Martin and Bowyer or one of them have bad races, I am sure he could make his way into the chase. So mathematically, he isn't completely out of it right now. But he desperately needs his luck to change from bad to good with these six races that are coming up before the chase. Which I hope it does, but sadly, I don't realistically see that happening.

[RogerDuke]

Here's another one for you. Formula 1 drivers leave and come to NASCAR but do NASCAR drivers ever leave for Formula 1?

[Garrett Duke]

Interesting question. I have never heard of a NASCAR driver leaving to drive Formula 1...though you are right there has been several that has left to drive NASCAR.

[RogerDuke]

Changin' the subject....

Who decides when to change the tires during a race, the driver, crew chief or both?

[Garrett Duke]

I think the crew cheif gets the ultimate call on tires and all that they will do on their pit stop or when to pit and when to stay out, but I think they mainly work together with that one.

[RogerDuke]

What's the fastest speeds they get up to in road races like today's?

[Garrett Duke]

Hmm that's a good one Roger. Today's pit road speed for Watkin's Glen wasn't the fastest...it was 35 MPH which seems slow, but the road courses races themselves are slower than normal with all the turns. Most of them are 55 to 65 MPH. I'll have to check up on the specifics of that one!

[Garrett Duke]

OK I am like the dumbest person, Roger...I apologize, I totally read your question wrong. I thought you were asking about pit road speeds for some dumb reason. This is where I give you permission to hit me...just not too hard.

So, I will now try to answer the question rightfully this time. I am looking it up right now, I really didn't pay much attention to speed yesterday. Carl Edwards got the pole by going 124.432 in qualifying. Took him seventy seconds to pull it off. The fastest all time lap at the Glen was Mark Martin going 103.9 in 1995. The slowest record is held by Kyle Petty going 50.879 in 1992.

That didn't exactly answer your question about the average speed, Roger...I apologize. That is about the closest I had found with speed on a site that had info about every little thing or stats of the race and track. Though didn't look up Infineon...Though I can sum it up, not as fast as they run on an oval track. Looking at Edwards' qualifying run there, they must run faster by themselves than with other cars around on the road race, would be interesting to look and see if the same would be true with ovals. Guess it'd make sense since there would be no one in their way and all.

[Garrett Duke]

This is probably an easy question.

Has Dale Jr. been mathematically eliminated from the Chase?

Well I originally came on here to reanswer this question before noticing my mistake on my last answer and got side tracked...LOL.

Dale Jr is now in 16th spot and around 190 points behind the twelve spot. The races are winding down...he has four races to go before the field is set. I am starting to believe his chances of making it is next to none right now. I'm not saying that there is absolutely no way he can make it, but unless he starts winning the next several races and a few drivers in the lower half of the top twelve have horrible next few races, he will be out of the chase for this year. He will be one of the many drivers racing for the 13th position to take home a million dollars. Being a fan, that is discouraging and disappointing, until I look back at last year where he finished 25th in points...he is at least doing better this year than last year. This is where he can work on how to get him, the car, and the team better for next year so hopefully they will have a better chance of making the chase.

[RogerDuke]

Thanks Garrett. I knew you'd get it right eventually!

I knew they went a lot slower but couldn't tell how slow. The road races don't look fast on TV (compared to an oval track) but I know it's fast in real life. The only thing I can relate it to is the local tracks. When they show them on the local news it looks slow but sure looks fast when you're in the bleachers.

There's going to be a lot of heartbroken Dale fans when he's mathematically eliminated.

Here's my next question. When they were interviewing Boris Said I noticed he looks pretty big. Isn't that a big (no pun intended) disadvantage since weight is so important with the cars?

Oh yea, I see former football coach Jimmy Johnson is going to be on Survivor. Does he still own a NASCAR car? if so, who's the driver?

[HossC]

Here's another one for you. Formula 1 drivers leave and come to NASCAR but do NASCAR drivers ever leave for Formula 1?

Sorry Roger - this question was probably aimed at me, and I missed it. I don't remember any NASCAR drivers making the switch to F1, not many people switch from closed wheel racing to open, I may be wrong. Obviously Juan Pablo Montoya is the biggest current NASCAR driver who used to drive F1. I think Jacques Villeneuve drove NASCAR after his F1 stint.

There have also been quite a few drivers that switched from F1 to Indy/CART. I remember Nigel Mansell was very successful in the early 90s, the Andrettis have also been involved in F1. There are a few names in the current Indy driver line-up that look familiar from smaller F1 teams from a few years ago. I don't get to see Indy at present so there may be more.

Some drivers do switch from Indy/CART to F1. Jacques Villeneuve started in IndyCar, as it was then, before moving to F1. Alex Zanardi also tried to switch back to F1 (he did F1 before Indy) after his US victories, but couldn't duplicate his success. From looking around the web, Alex has droven a few cars since his accident despite having 2 prosthetic legs.

There was meant to be a US team in F1 this year (USF1), but the recession caused them to withdraw. Otherwise there aren't many US drivers around. Of course with Indy and NASCAR to watch, F1 has always been less popular in the US, and the US hasn't even made an appearance on the F1 calendar since the debarcle which saw only 6 cars compete in the 2005 US Grand Prix at Indianapolis. F1 did return to Canada this year (one of the most exciting races so far), and returns to the US in 2012 at a purpose-built track in Austin, Texas (don't know if daisydukeXenosstrait is a motorsport fan).

If you have any other F1 questions, feel free to ask - I'm certainly not an expert and, despite watching each race, my memory is terrible for F1 stats.

[Garrett Duke]

Hoss...don't mind you answering, especially since you know more about F1 racing than I do. But I do know some of the drivers that did switch from F1. May not have remembered them at first. Juan Pablo Montoya is by far the biggest one that has succeeded, but Sam Hornish Jr I believe drove F1 or Indy before coming to NASCAR. It amazes me all the different types of racing out there...guess for me, I'll just stick with NASCAR - the one I know about.

Boris Said is a big guy and I would think that may have some disadvantages...I know Michael Waltrip (Darrell Waltrip youngest brother) is 6'5" (I think) and when he was still racing with the old car, Darrell said Mikey's head would touch the roof of the car. The new cars was easier for Michael to get in and out and had more head room. Am sure that would go for Said as well. Though don't know exactly how much disadvantage for the weight and the car and all that.

Hmmm Jimmy Johnson owned a car? Well Roger, you knew more than I did about that. I knew some Dallas players at one time owned a car (believe perhaps Reutimann's when he first came to NASCAR. Could be wrong about that.) but don't know anything about the football Jimmy Johnson. THat would be interesting to look up. . .

[HossC]

Juan Pablo Montoya is by far the biggest one that has succeeded, but Sam Hornish Jr I believe drove F1 or Indy before coming to NASCAR.

Sam Hornish Jr drove IndyCar, not F1. I think IndyCar is a lot easier for non-Americans to break into than NASCAR. If you look at the current IndyCar lineup there's at least 6 Brits as well as about 8 or 9 Brazilians and others from Japan, Colombia etc.. at least 2 of which are ex-F1. I guess the money's pretty good in NASCAR, so drivers tend to stay if they can.

It amazes me all the different types of racing out there...guess for me, I'll just stick with NASCAR - the one I know about.

There's a 4 week mid-season break in F1 at present, so I only had BTCC (British Touring Car Championship) to watch this weekend. It's probably the nearest we have to NASCAR, although all the tracks are what you would call road courses like Watkins Glen and the cars only have 2 liter (122 cu in) engines. It's technically a non-contact form of racing, but that doesn't stop some interesting comings together. To see what I'm talking about you can check out the finale of last year's season here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOaJPS1yOuc

Incidentally, the next race on the F1 calendar is arguably the best - Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium. The reason I mention this is that like Watkins Glen it also has a 'Bus stop' chicane.

End of F1 hijack of NASCAR forum.

[Garrett Duke]

Hijacking the NASCAR Q&A thread...LOL Hoss. Thanks for returning it to NASCAR...seeing on how I know very little about F1. Sounds like you know a lot about it, so I will leave those questions for you and I think I'll stick with the racing I know most about; NASCAR. Think most of the drivers I had thought came from F1 to NASCAR was actually Indy like Sam Hornish Jr now to think of it. Except for Juan Pablo Montoya. You do know your F1 racing.

Four week break? Dang...I'd be going crazy with that long of a break. Though guess I do bet a three MONTH break at the end of the season before the next season. Those are the longest months ever. Know how you must be feeling right now. Hope your driver or whoever you go for will do good at the next race you are talking about.

NASCAR actually has two road courses...the Watkins Glen that they just finished at and they have one at Sonoma called Infineon. Jeff Gordon (my favorite driver) is pretty good at road coarses so I enjoy them.

Thanks for the info, Hoss! As I said, I'll leave the F1 stuff to you and stick with what I actually know. LOL.

[HossC]

Hope your driver or whoever you go for will do good at the next race you are talking about.

F1 is quite international, although there's an increasing number of Germans at the moment. There's only 2 Brits in contention, so I'm happy for either of them to win. One is last year's champion, the other was champion the year before, and they're in the same team for the first time this year. Having said that, it's very close this year between the top teams.

Back to NASCAR, I heard the commentator mention there were 2 road courses, thanks for filling in the other one. Although the motorsport I watch is all on this type of circuit, the NASCAR on ovals that I've seen before was much closer. Which type of track do you prefer, and how much do the ovals vary?. I know that, despite the name, the shape changes from track to track.

If an F1 car stops on the circuit (breakdown or accident), and there aren't any shards of carbon fiber or other debris across the track, this occurrence is normally handled with waved yellow flags where the drivers only have to slow down through that section of the track, and they can't overtake. Safety (pace) cars are only used for bad crashes, mainly to allow the marshals to clear the track safely. Does NASCAR do this, or do they just throw a full course caution and/or send out the pace car?. I only got to see the highlights, so this part of the race is usually cut (even when I've seen whole races they tend to go to a commercial break).

[Garrett Duke]

Sounds like you have an exciting race to watch. Glad both your guys or drivers are doing well.

I prefer the oval tracks over the road courses because they go faster and there tends to be more action on the track. The road courses are fun and exciting in their own right, just it is hard for them to pass one another so they seem to stay in the same position for awhile. Of course that makes it more challenging for the drivers...LOL. Each track is different than one another, there are half mile tracks to two mile tracks and the lengths of the race varies as well. Pocono's track is in the shape of a triangle. I like the longer tracks...the mile, mile and a half tracks. Though I do love Bristol and Bristol is the shortest track out there...Bristol is just a short track full of action, lot of emotion on that track. Don't know if you feel this way with your F1 races, but I tend to like the tracks that my favorite driver is good at. LOL.

F1 only puts caution or yellow flag on that section of the track where there is debri or an accident at? I'd think that would be hard to slow down in time. NASCAR yellow flags the whole track for a few laps until the accident or the debris is all cleared. They have a pace car setting the pace for everyone and after a lap or two around the track, pit road opens up and a lot of drivers will make their pit stop. The only way they can pass under yellow is if they beat another driver out of pit road and they have a slow speed for pit road - they get caught speeding, they have to serve a drive through penalty. If an accident is real bad, they will red flag it and everyone has to park and no one can work on the car or do anything with the car. They also will throw a caution or yellow flag if there is any sort of debri out on the track as well which can get frustrating depending on where your driver is at and if they need a pit stop or not. Then once the track is all cleaned and set, they will drop the green and they have a double file restart to start the race again. This year they have done something different...if the yellow falls before the white flag falls, they give them three more laps to race to the white. Once the white flag falls, it's set...the caution comes out, they just stop the race and whoever is leading, wins...or everyone races around the 'accident' to the finish line.

Hope that helps. Too bad they don't show it...the pit stops are interesting to me to see how much time they take, what strategy they use, and of course, who gets out of the pits fastest. LOL

[HossC]

Don't know if you feel this way with your F1 races, but I tend to like the tracks that my favorite driver is good at. LOL.

Funnily enough, no. I like the tracks that challenge the drivers, and make them take risks to overtake.

I'd think that would be hard to slow down in time.

F1 can have some comparatively slow corners, and while NASCAR probably has higher top speeds, F1 cars would accelerate and brake quicker. They generate enough downforce that, theoretically, they could be driven upside-down and stay on the ceiling.

There's similar pit lane speeding penalties in F1. Restarts are slightly different as they are single file.

...the pit stops are interesting to me to see how much time they take, what strategy they use, and of course, who gets out of the pits fastest. LOL

In F1 there are 2 different hardness tires supplied for each race (out of a total of 4 hardnesses altogether). Each car has to use at least 1 set of each during the race (unless it's a wet race) so there has to be at least one pit stop. They changed the rules this year to ban refuelling during the race, so these guys can now change a set of tires in about 3.5 seconds.

[Garrett Duke]

I like challenging tracks as well, just like the tracks more where I can go into the race knowing he'll have a good finish. Though he has a win at all but one track so far, so that only means he has one challenging track left to face. Hopefully he can get it this year.

Goodyear supplies the tires for each race so they don't bring the tires...well they might, but they don't get a choice as to what tire they want to race. Though Goodyear and the drivers seem to communicate as to which tire works best at what track and so far. Just like Sunoco supplies the gas...they gas up or refuel several times during the race.

Interesting to hear the difference between the two racing leagues! Never knew much about F1 other than their cars look different. LOL .

[HossC]

Bridgestone have supplied F1 tires for the last few years, but it will be Pirelli next year. To save money, teams are now limited to a certain number of sets of tires per race weekend, which have to be used for practice, qualifying and racing. Unlike NASCAR, F1 continues in the rain, with slick tires giving way to 'intermediate' and 'wet' (sometimes called 'monsoon') grooved tires. Watching pit strategy when a shower occurs mid-race makes for very exciting viewing. Of course F1 has covered pit garages that open onto the pit lane.

Re: cars looking different. Go back 10, maybe 15 years and F1 cars looked quite similar to those of IndyCar. Since then they seem to have gone in very different directions.

[Garrett Duke]

Wow...you do know your F1 racing and cars! I know more about the racing aspect for NASCAR than I do the cars...I do know some with the cars, but not everything. They do have different tires for different tracks, but no rain tirs. So if sprinkles or rains they either put a yellow out for sprinkles or red flag it for rain. Rains too long they'll end the race if they are at half way or over halfway of the race. Or postpone it to Monday if it rains before or before halfway.